Engaging with communities can be a significant challenge for many organizations, especially when there is no existing relationship with the territory. There is no secret formula or magic solution. The first step is to open a dialogue and practice active listening.
Beyond the initial approach, it is important to maintain a continuous presence, allowing both the company and the community to understand each other’s roles and build trust over time. Closer engagement can also help identify where an organization’s support can be most meaningful while revealing realities that are not always visible from the outside. Many projects, networks, and initiatives are already underway and can be strengthened through financial resources, technical support, people, knowledge, or other forms of collaboration.
So, where should companies start?
An organization looking to make a commitment to social responsibility should first understand its role within that context. Listening to local needs helps prevent initiatives that are disconnected from reality and makes it possible to identify how the company’s resources and expertise can support work that is already happening in the community.
According to Sherlock Communications’ 2024 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) survey, 81% of Latin American consumers surveyed said that CSR initiatives influence their perception of companies. In addition, 77% said they would not recommend companies that are not socially responsible.
These figures help illustrate the importance of CSR for organizational reputation. However, this should not be the only — or even the main — reason for a company to engage with a community. As society’s expectations of organizations continue to evolve, their ability to generate positive social impact increasingly influences how companies are perceived and how they position themselves in the market.
Climate justice in communities: A workshop in practice
In August 2026, Sherlock Communications took part in a technical visit organized by the UN Global Compact and Instituto CEJAM in Capão Redondo, in São Paulo’s South Zone, a region facing significant social and environmental challenges. Walking through the territory and speaking with local community organizers about climate justice highlighted something essential: to understand local realities and make a meaningful social commitment, organizations need to listen to the people who live and work there every day.
Initiatives like this can be valuable opportunities for building connections, but engagement cannot end there. To create meaningful impact, companies need to establish long-term relationships. This also means recognizing that communities are not blank spaces waiting for solutions. Much is already being built by civil society organizations, community leaders, and residents who understand not only the challenges of their territory, but also its talents, strengths, and potential.
Companies and governments can contribute by strengthening initiatives that are already working and putting their expertise at the service of these local realities.
The power of cross-sector collaboration
The importance of working together was precisely what the community organizers taking part in the visit emphasized. Complex social, cultural, and environmental challenges require collaboration across the three sectors. These partnerships can involve much more than financial support, including knowledge, networks, technology, communication, and mobilization.
Communication also plays a key role in this process. Communications and marketing agencies can support this collaboration through CSR campaigns that bring different sectors closer together and facilitate dialogue between them. At the same time, they can help give visibility to initiatives, communicate their impact, and bring their stories to wider audiences.
This is where initiatives such as Lupa do Bem can play an important role, connecting organizations, causes, and different stakeholders to create new opportunities for collaboration.
Social impact and the legitimacy of corporate action
Lupa do Bem was created as a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative by Sherlock Communications, a strategic communications agency operating across Latin America, and has since become a nonprofit organization. Its mission is to strengthen social initiatives across the region by supporting their communication, credibility, and development. With support from Sherlock, Lupa do Bem also connects these initiatives with companies interested in generating positive impact, facilitating campaigns and partnerships that can expand opportunities for communities.
However, the legitimacy of these efforts depends on building genuine, long-term relationships. Approaching a community only for a campaign or one-off action can result in superficial narratives that are disconnected from local realities.
Listening, staying present, and building together are what allow companies to understand where they can truly make a difference — while also reducing the risk of turning social and environmental causes into little more than corporate messaging.
Ultimately, the key question companies should ask themselves is: How can we build relationships with the people and organizations already working every day to strengthen their communities — and how can we help amplify what they are already doing?